Minimally-invasive surgery has evolved to a point where procedures that were unimaginable a few years ago are now routinely performed on a daily basis. Even in these procedures, however, there is room for improvement. One example is the removal of stones and calculi from kidneys and ureters, to the great relief of many suffering patients.
To treat this condition, several individual steps are involved. In one procedure, these steps include placing a relatively narrow guidewire through a urethra and a bladder, and then through the ureter and into the kidney. After the guidewire is placed, a catheter is run along the guidewire, dilating the body passages (the urethra and the ureter) as it moves down the guidewire. In the next sequence for this procedure, a ureteral access sheath is guided along and down the guidewire and the catheter. The access sheath also dilates the body passages as it moves from outside the body, through the urethra, and into the ureter, down to the desired location, and into or very near the kidney.
The physician may then remove calculi and stones through the access sheath, using a grasper, a retrieval basket or other device. The access sheath protects the ureter from repeated passage of the retrieval device while the stones or calculi are removed. After the stones are removed, a ureteral stent may be placed into the ureter through the access sheath, using the catheter or a pushing tube to position the stent. The stent is used to retain patency of the ureteral lumen and to continue normal urinary drainage.
One problem with this procedure is that the guidewire may need to be very long in order for the physician to control passage first of the catheter and then of the access sheath to the desired location within the patient's body. Very long guidewires are not standard, and it may require two people to handle such a guide wire so that it does not drape onto the floor. The surgeon may decide he or she needs a guidewire with a stiffness different from the one provided with the particular kit in order to negotiate the pathway. A substitute stiffer guidewire may not be readily available in non-standard lengths.
Using this procedure for sequential placement of first a catheter and then an access sheath, the guidewire needs to be as long as the combination of both the catheter and the access sheath. A long guidewire leads to two problems, including a greater tendency to kink, and a need for greater skill on the part of the physician to maneuver the guidewire while placing the guidewire itself, the catheter, and the sheath.
Another problem that is encountered with ureteral stents occurs in cancer patients, where a growth may apply radial compression to a ureter. Such compression can make fluid flow difficult. In these cases, a typical polymeric, relatively soft pig-tail stent may not have sufficient radial strength to resist compression by a cancerous or other growth. In these cases, a stronger, sturdier ureteral stent is needed to resist radial compression and allow for continued drainage from the kidney to the bladder. In some cases, a urethral stent or catheter may also be helpful to ensure drainage from the bladder. What is needed is a better way to dilate the body passages in order to place the access sheaths and stents.